An Angel, A King, and Me a Gen-X'er

June 25, 2009 became a wake-up call for my Generation...Generation X. We grew up without computers, cell phones, cable tv, i-tunes, facebook, and twitter to name a few. We played with toys that could've killed us and were the offspring of the Baby Boomers. We had no real wars and arguably the greatest President of all times, Ronald Reagan. The Cold War (not a real war in case you didn't know) ended, the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up before our eyes, and AIDS was our number 1 health issue. And in all that we had two of the most famous icons EVER...Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett who died yesterday. One death was expected that we had been preparing for and the other a total shocker. These guys were superstars. Not like superstars today where there seems to be one on every street corner but exceptional standouts.

Farrah Fawcett was Jill Monroe..Charlie's Angel. There were three little girls who went to the Police Academy....cue music....this show was "must see" tv! I did have her poster. Actually alot of girls did...it wasn't just the guys. This wasn't ooky like it might be today. She actually was wearing a bathing suit AND a truly wholesome smile. Mega-watt smile and way better than Jennifer Aniston HAIR! Charlie's Angel was "played" by little girls all over America on the school grounds during recess. We all fought over who would play Jill. Not there was anything wrong with Kelly or Sabrina or even Chris (who replaced Jill). We still wanted to BE Farrah. I mean she was married in real life to the Six Million Dollar Man Steve Austin (Lee Majors!)...Hellooooo! We watched her later in life make loads of mistakes in the public eye but we didn't care. She was still Farrah Fawcett. I watched her documentary of her journey with anal cancer just a few weeks ago. It was the most tender, touching, honest program. I am not ashamed to say that I cried alot watching it. She was a very brave soul who fought a very brave battle. Although she may have lost the battle with cancer, I would like to think she won the war.

MJ, the gloved one, was the coolest. I posted my favorite picture of him above. This is how I will always see Michael Jackson. I still have this exact Thriller album. He brought us the glove, awesome frickin' dance tunes, global awareness to hunger in Africa, and the Moonwalk! To this day I still turn up the radio when Billie Jean comes on (which is not as rare as you would think). I know every word to every song and sing aloud while "dancing" along with MJ. Yes I know that he became less and less like the Michael Jackson we all knew and loved but that will never change my memories of him from my youth. I didn't know him personally so I cannot really say why he would choose to alter his looks, prefer the company of chimps and children, and/or any of all the stuff he "weirded" out on. What I can say is he is someone's son, brother, uncle, AND father. For that alone he should be respected. He will definitely be missed.

Their passing reminded us, my generation, that we are truly older. I imagine the coming years will bring us closer and closer to the realization that yes, we have now become our parents. These were the first two major players to lose for us. Those that leave us in the future will probably not have near the impact. So, if you are a GenX'er like me this totally sucks. If you're not, well be a little kinder to us over the next few days/weeks/years. This is hard on us.

Rest in peace Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Later blog readers....

Thugs and Diamonds in the Rough are NOT a Girl's Best Friend

Let me start by saying that I do not racial profile. I'm just an excellent judge of body language and character. I swear I should have been a police detective specializing in interrogation. Let me also clarify that all thugs are not, and should not be assumed to be, African American. These, however, are. I was looking out my window for some odd reason a few days ago. I see these three men that are walking in the neighborhood. These guys are a little older than what you might expect to see in the middle of the day. OK, maybe not that unusual to see considering it is FC. Anyhoo, I see my neighbor out in the yard and they kind of have to acknowledge that she's out there. They talk for a second and move on. It helps that my neighbor has a very large German Shepherd. I continue watching them walk down the street. They do not approach any house and just are meandering and looking. Which translates in my opinion as Up To NO Good. I wait for them to move on down the street then I go talk to my neighbor. She says they asked her if she would like her yard mowed. This is really not unusual HOWEVER..there were THREE MIDDLE AGE MEN WITH NO LAWN CUTTING EQUIPMENT! Helllooooo! Better story guys. Well, we agree that they are of questionable character at best. We walk across my yard to look at my Knock-out Roses. If you like roses, get you some of these! They are beautiful and truly maintenance free. Heck, I grow them so you know they need NOTHING. :) While we are standing there admiring my rose bushes (they really are pretty) who drives by in an older model white vehicle????? The three guys! Just out on a stroll I guess. And NO lawn equipment. I am good with remembering things nobody else can by the way. I think they were surprised to see us talking. Heck, probably not.



Flash forward to a day later. In the paper, THREE guys were seen crawling out a window of a home on a VERY CLOSE street. The homeowners and neighbors nab one of them. (Sidebar: way to go homeowner and friends!) Guess who they were???? Yep, the lawn guys. Geez Louise. I am so sick of crime in this area. Normally I would chalk it up to Delta poverty but I'm beginning to think that's a copout. No pun intended. I understand theft. I really do but come ON. Get a J O B! And if you can't pass a drug test then go somewhere that doesn't require one but WORK! Go to school! I don't care but BETTER yourselves. Give it a rest already.



Next story.....Diamond Digging at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. ACV, Haley, Blakely, and I strike out bright and early yesterday morning to hunt for treasure. It's about a 3+ hour drive to the park. It's also 1pm now and 110 degrees in the shade. LOL We haul all of our "equipment" (cooler, buckets, snacks, towels, etc.) in and decide in all of the 37 acreage that we plant ourselves in the FIRST spot we see. Which is about 30 yards from the main pavilion. Boy, we went far but you try carrying all that crap in the heat and see how far YOU get! We bust out and start digging. 15 minutes later, with potential heat stroke, we head for our shaded mini-pavilion and take, oh, about a 45 minute break! ALERT! For those weak of stomach, do not read the following. I am literally covered in sweat. I am already the color of south of the border and now have buttcrack sweat that is visible on my shorts. Haley seriously considered taking a picture and posting on FB. I really could've cared less. If hell is anywhere near that temp, buttcrack sweat will be the LEAST of my problems. Blakely's face is fire engine red as well as everyone else (except mine which has now turned black). We are ready to go home. lOL Then...what?....really?....a breeze with a thunderstorm (with lightning) is showing up!!!!



Sidebar: I don't "do" lightning. I don't play. I think I am a magnet and will get struck for sure. My dad has been struck. And, while driving, lightning has struck right by my car with me in it. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. It was freaky.



But I threw caution to the wind and we went out digging in the rain. *now you know i was cool with no lightning being near but wanted it to sound dangerous* We dug and dug. Found a bunch of jasper which sounds cool but basically is a red ROCK. OH, and lots of glass that deceptively look like diamonds. LOL We walk around..take a water break even though it is now 84 degrees...snack a little...and walk and look some more. Dig holes. Get dusty and dirty. Blah Blah Blah. Then Haley goes to the bathroom. She IS 5 months pregnant so we're cool with that...LOL. However, she reads some stuff on the way and decides we need to
try to do this water sifting procedure. Basically, you scoop up a bunch of little rock stuff and take it over with the sifter and dunk and dunk and dunk in water hole pavilion thingy they have. ACV, her mom, decides (much to her credit) to stay there and "organize" our stuff. And would anxiously await our return with the big rock of our destiny. OMG....total mudhole. After hanging with all the other "serious" diamond hunters, and much frustration, we three are covered in mud and sick of diamond searching. Haley manages to get a glass, er I mean diamond sliver in her finger which allows us to STOP THE MADNESS (thank goodness-JK)! We hose off (not very well I might add) and blow that popstand (after we go to the gift shop and purchase Blake's obligatory tee and 4 crystals that I swear look JUST LIKE DIAMONDS). We get in the car, and as strongly suspected, my deodorant has stopped working. We have been there for four freakin' hours and EACH of us look and smell like complete doodoo. We head to Hot Springs and are almost ashamed to book a hotel room at the Comfort Inn Suites but we do. Then order take-out because we are POOPED and gross. I will buy my diamonds in a jewelry store from now on thank you very much. Been there..done that.. THE END



Well bloggers, hope you enjoyed.....later

The Pool and Spanish plus a SHOT

For starters I think I am going to the gym wayyyy too much. Seriously. I have been EVERY day (including weekend) for TWO WEEKS! I need to go to the doctor because I don't know who I am! LOL Actually, it's that darn spinning bike. I am a tad obsessed with it. Scary. Plus Yoga is back so I do that too. You would think I would look better and/or lose some poundage but nope. I just eat alot more because I figure, hey why not? I'm working out. Pa-thet-ic.

Spanish is killing me. Killing me. I am making good grades but am having to really make myself study. I'm just not into it. I thought I would be but I'm not. I need to get excited quickly though because I'm just getting started.

Finished applying for grad school yesterday. The only thing holding me up was proof of my MMR (measles/mumps/rubella) shot from when I was like 18! Ofcourse, Mom didn't have it and I sure didn't. My hometown doctor has been retired for like 15 years and his practice no longer exists sooooo I called UCA and they have no records because now they are computerized. They just know I graduated from there! LOL The sad thing was when I attended UCA there were no computers. I think they had 4 in the library but ofcourse the internet had not been invented yet. That really makes me feel old. Kids today are soooo lucky. The whole world is literally at their fingertips. I would've done way better in school if I'd had a computer. Anyhoo, back to the story...I had to go and get the MMR shot yesterday. Let me just say that it HURT!!! And it hurt ALOT! My arm hurt for most of the evening and wasn't too chippy this morning. Just glad (and shocked!) that I didn't wake up covered in measles/mumps/and rubella (whatever that is). Feeling better tonight though. Glad that's over with.

I have been going to the pool about as often as I've been going to the gym. It's getting too hot. The pool doesn't even feel that great. Plus, I'm starting to look like I am from Mexico. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :) Gotta love Seinfeld!

Summertime is just lazy time. I would blog more but I can't come up with anything to blog about. I'm going to do better. Hope all blog readers are doing well. Stay cool. later......

Weekend..Weak Out. (And no that's not a typo)

Friday was just one of those weird days. I cleaned house because I had to and then just sat around. Oh, I did go to the gym. I am working through my new addiction to spinning. I LOVE LOVE it! Have not done yoga in 2 weeks but it starts back this week. We shall see how long the addiction to the bike lasts after my fave yoga.

AD got home a little after dark and we could not decide what to eat. Here's the rundown. He thought KFC..I really don't care so we head that way. Apparently KFC did not get the memo that we live in the poor Delta and are in a recession...7 dollars for chicken strips?!? So we move on down the road. McD's? The line is backed up all the way to the highway. I kid you not. Interstate traffic more than likely. If you live here you know the absolute fastest time for service is Breakfast followed by slower Lunch AND barely snail's pace Supper. If we wanted to eat before midnight we would need to go elsewhere. So we move on..Sonic? NO parking places. I mean it's raining outside and we figured people wouldn't be out. Boy were we wrong! Taco Bell? Same as McD's. End up at Popeye's and had the best meal EVER. Seriously. Why can't I ever remember that place? Red beans and rice. A mini-chicken sammich..yummy.

Saturday we were invited to a party to celebrate the marriage of one of my guy friends from high school. I was determined to go. AD not so much. He had to work which is normal and I'm not about to complain! So, I paired up with one of my best friends from high school and today..Niki J. She's paranoid about the internet, which is one of the many reasons I love her, so I will not tell you her last name but she's married to Craig Jones. Oops! LOL She's got a good sense of humor thank goodness! Anyhoo, Craig kept their kids and we went. It was great fun! Had such a good time visiting with everybody. Almost like a mini-reunion. Pics are on Facebook (hence part of Nik's paranoia-lol). I apparently even look like I had a good time. And I DID!

I get home (by 9:45..woo hoo!) to an all-out melt down between father and daughter. It involved foot massage stuff and the carpet. Glad I was mellow if ya get my drift. I ended up cleaning up (big surprise) and painting fingernails.

Church came early on Sunday but we were about to kickoff VBS so I had to haul my dragging butt up and go. Glad I did. VBS started today and I am worn slap out from wrangling/herding/threatening (not really) 18 4th-6th graders and it's ONLY MONDAY! FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!! It's actually a good time, though.

Well, will blog later in the week if I survive. Later....

Specific to Jake: GLAD YOU ARE BACK! Missed ya!

Out with the old

No, this is not a New Year's post. LOL I have been spring (summer) cleaning. I have managed to clean out Blake's closet and chest of drawers. As soon as I catch her not looking I am going to clean out her ROOM. Chunking all the tooky Dollar Tree toys. She will be p.o.'d but whatever...I'm the mommy:) I also started organizing bills and bank accounts. Honestly, it has always been organized "chaos" but I thought I'd try a new way. We shall see.

I got up this morning and made grilled cheese for AD. I love the sound of the smoke alarm at 445 in the morning. LOL

This online Spanish class is killing me. It's not hard it's just time consuming. On the upside, I have learned a whole lot more than I EVER wanted to know about the country of Peru. I had to create a powerpoint presentation on it. It's really a neat place and I actually wouldn't mind visiting it one day. That being said I really don't know what it has to do with learning Spanish. WTH?

I really, really wish Clifford would realize that he is NOT a cat! He is driving me INSANE with his licking his paws. I wish he WOULD be more like a cat when he does that! Quietly licking his paws would be GOOD but noooooo he's got to sound like the tasmanian devildog. It wears on my nerves. I seem to be the only one in the house bothered by this...what else is new??? But I'm his alpha dog and with him way more than the other two. I spend the day yelling at the dog but it beats yelling at the humans. LOL

I ripped a small chunk out of my right index finger this morning letting Clifford out for his usual. I managed to catch it on the deadbold lock. How that happened beats me but totally not surprising. I am weird accident prone. Just another day in the life.

Speaking of life. I received an email that I posted to facebook and will now post on here. It is by a 90 year old woman named Regina Brett and I LOVE it! Everything she says I totally agree with and believe. I just hope I live to be 90. I would really like to live past 100! How cool would that be!?! Hope you enjoy. Later......

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative-dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.